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Do I need to register my spare room or Airbnb in Wales?
Yes, if guests pay. The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) says anyone who takes paid bookings of 31 nights or less in Wales must register, and that includes a spare room, your own home, or a flat you put on Airbnb only once a year. Registration is free and online, and the deadline is 31 March 2027 if you take bookings before 1 April 2027.
Do I need to register if I only let my home once a year?
Yes. The WRA's own guidance names main homes and spare rooms, and its example is a host who lets her home on Airbnb once a year for an event. One paid booking of 31 nights or less is enough. Only free stays, such as friends or family staying at no cost, are left out.
It does not matter whether you let the whole house while you are away, or one bedroom while you live there. If you own or rent the place, you take the bookings and the guests pay, you count as a visitor accommodation provider.
Who does not need to register?
- You only have friends or family to stay, and they pay nothing.
- You have stopped taking bookings altogether.
- Every booking you take is for more than 31 nights. The rule is about the length of each booking, not how many nights a year you let. The WRA's guidance does not mention lodgers by name, so if you have a lodger on a longer agreement and are unsure, check with the WRA on 03000 254 000.
Do I need to register if my council has no visitor levy?
Yes. Registration applies everywhere in Wales, whether or not your council charges a levy. Today only Cardiff has decided to charge one, from 1 April 2027. A spare room in Swansea, Conwy or Aberystwyth still has to be registered.
A worked example: a spare room in Cardiff and a home in Swansea
Cardiff: a host lets the spare double room in their Pontcanna terrace on Airbnb for rugby weekends. Two friends book it after 28 September 2026 and stay 2 nights in March 2027 for a match. The levy starts on 1 April 2027, so that stay pays nothing, but the host must still have registered by 31 March 2027. The same couple coming back for 2 nights in May 2027 owe 2 people x 2 nights x £1.30 = £5.20, whatever the room costs. The host pays it to the WRA, not to Airbnb.
Swansea: another host lets their whole three-bed house on Airbnb for one week each summer while they are away. Swansea has no levy, so there is nothing to pay, but one paid booking is enough: they register too.
If either host never registers, the fines are worked out per property:
| Fine (1 property) | Amount |
|---|---|
| First penalty | £100 |
| Still not registered: £10 a day, up to 30 days | £300 |
| Still not registered after that | £1,000 |
| Total, up to | £1,400 |
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Will I have to pay a visitor levy on my spare room?
Only in Cardiff for now. From 1 April 2027 a Cardiff host pays £1.30 per guest per night, for guests of every age, on bookings made from 28 September 2026. Elsewhere in Wales you only register, and you pay nothing until your council decides to start a levy.
In Cardiff the levy is counted on the booking, not on who turns up: if a booking is for 2 people and only 1 arrives, it is still 2 people. Babies and children count too. Airbnb may help collect it, but the WRA says you cannot rely on the platform: you stay responsible.
What happens if I don't register my spare room?
The WRA can charge £100 per property. If you still have not registered after 30 days, it can add £10 per property per day for up to 30 more days, and then a further £1,000 per property. For one spare room that is up to £1,400. You can ask for a review or appeal to the tribunal.
What to do, step by step
- Note the address of the room or home, the type (for example a room in your home), how many rooms and guests, and when in the year you take bookings.
- Go to the WRA registration service and sign in with GOV.UK One Login.
- Enter your details and add the property. One registration covers every place you are responsible for.
- Update it within 30 days if anything changes, and deregister within 30 days of your last guest leaving if you stop.
- In Cardiff, keep the number of guests and nights for every booking made from 28 September 2026.
For the full list of what the form asks, see How do I register my holiday let in Wales?
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General information, not tax or legal advice. Sources: Welsh Revenue Authority, Registering visitor accommodation: overview (updated 1 October 2026); WRA, Failing to register, update details, or deregister your visitor accommodation (1 October 2026); WRA, Register your visitor accommodation; WRA, Step-by-step guide to Visitor Levy; WRA, Technical Visitor Levy guidance; Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025. Last checked 4 October 2026. Nero Engine Group Ltd, company 16521432, 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. Privacy · Terms